Early life in Owando and Poto-Poto grounds
Born on 28 December 1949 in Fort-Rousset, now Owando, Gilbert “Milou” Itsa grew up in a civil-servant household that valued discipline as much as ambition. The dusty pitches of northern Congo first sharpened the left foot that would soon mesmerise fans nationwide.
He moved to Brazzaville for secondary school, enrolling as a boarder at Lycée Savorgnan-de-Brazza. Between classes he slipped through the gates to the rough ground of Stade de la Grande École, where the neighbourhood side Elite refined his instinctive dribbling.
Future ministers Pierre Oba and Henri Ossébi shared that makeshift dressing room, proof of football’s unlikely power to knit together a generation. Itsa’s reputation crossed the Congo River, and soon the Bacongo district’s Yougos field called him on weekend afternoons.
Rise with Squadra Azzurra and CARA Brazzaville
The teenage winger joined Squadra Azzurra, the fabled Poto-Poto outfit that had once produced marshal Dzabana “Jadot”. Match days began with climbing a dormitory wall, ended with spectators chanting his name after another scything run down the touchline.
In 1965, Club Athlétique Renaissance Aiglon—better known as CARA—signed him, pairing the youngster with household names Emmanuel Mayanda, Gilbert “Bolida” Makouana and Bosco “Mustang” Moukassa. The locker room, rich in nicknames and charisma, became a finishing school for his artistry.
Observers remember the ease with which he slowed the pace, rolled the ball under his sole, then exploded past defenders. A cultured left foot allowed direct corner kicks to nestle inside the far post, a rarity that lifted stadium roofs.
International feats and unforgettable matches
National selectors took note, awarding Itsa a senior debut in 1969. That same year the Congo faced Brazil’s touring FC Santos, led by Pelé. Though the visitors won, local newspapers hailed the fearless teenager who traded feints with the global icon.
Six seasons in red, green and gold followed, culminating in a 1975 trip to Kinshasa where CARA tormented CS Imana. The Brazzaville press still replays his curling shot that stunned the packed 20 May Stadium and silenced partisan chants.
Studies in France and brief European stints
In 1971, the winger pressed pause, boarding an Air Afrique flight to Paris. Law books replaced training cones as he sought a licence and later a master’s degree in legal sciences at the University of Paris VIII.
Yet football slipped through lecture-hall windows. He turned out for Maisons-Alfort from 1971 to 1973, switched to Juvisy until 1977 and closed the European chapter with Marc-en-Barœul the following season. Summer vacations invariably meant a return to Brazzaville and CARA.
Diplomas in hand, Itsa joined the Congolese police in 1978, which automatically assigned him to Inter Club, the force’s own team. After only a handful of appearances he retired, still shy of his thirtieth birthday, choosing a quieter path in uniform.
Quiet retirement, lasting legacy in Congolese football
The man who once electrified terraces settled on Rue Batéké, Poto-Poto. When we visited his home on 22 June 2013 he welcomed us with newspaper clippings, reciting line-ups and scorelines as though matches had ended the previous evening.
He spoke fondly of the role sport played in shaping civic values, citing teammates who became cabinet members and diplomats. “Football taught us respect,” he said softly, stroking a battered leather ball that never left the living-room shelf.
News of his passing reached newsrooms on 26 September 2025 through a brief notice from the Central Military Hospital, where he had been admitted days earlier. No cause was specified, but former colleagues quickly filled social media with tributes to “Tonton Milou”.
Pierre Oba, once a fellow winger and now a senior official, recalled by phone how Itsa “could hide the ball under his shoe and make defenders disappear”. Supporters gathered outside CARA’s modest headquarters, draping scarves over a framed photograph from 1969.
The Congolese Football Federation said preparations were under way for a memorial match featuring veterans of CARA and Inter Club. “His story shows how sport and study can coexist,” a spokesperson noted, encouraging today’s academy players to seek classroom success.
Until the tribute whistle blows, memories do the work. Old radio commentators swap cassette recordings; younger fans scroll grainy clips where a slight figure in green skates past bewildered opponents. In those frames, Gilbert Itsa remains forever 22 and forever unstoppable.
More than silverware, his gift was possibility. From Owando’s red earth to Paris lecture halls, he traced a route that still feels achievable to children juggling oranges in back alleys. That, supporters insist, is why the nickname “Milou” will never fade.
As the sun sets over Brazzaville’s leafy boulevards the city prepares to celebrate a man who once made time stand still with a drop of the shoulder. Gilbert Itsa’s final move may be departure, yet his influence remains firmly onside.